Sometimes, what someone posts on the internet can reveal a lot about who they actually are and what they value. If you’ve just met someone, it’s common to look up their online presence to learn more about their major interests, hobbies, or common connections. Or perhaps you’re curious about an old friend’s life and want to reconnect on social media.

If you already have a username, you might be able to track them down through a reverse username lookup. In this post, we’ll guide you through the process of finding profiles and running background checks using a social media username.

What’s the best reverse username lookup?

Several online tools can help you perform a reverse username lookup. We’ll start with the best free tools: WhatsMyName, Instant Username Search, and UserSearcher. These tools help you find social media accounts using a specific username. Since people often use the same username across different platforms, these tools might help you locate their other accounts. If you’re willing to pay a small fee, automatic people search tools like Social Catfish or Spokeo can provide more detailed information.

These tools use different algorithms, so results may vary even when searching the same username. We recommend using multiple tools to gather as much information as possible.

WhatsMyName

WhatsMyName lets you search for a username across various websites, including social media networks, dating platforms, and chat sites. If the person has created profiles using the same username, this tool should find them.

To use WhatsMyName, enter the username into the search box and click the search icon. You’ll see a list of links to social media profiles using that username. Click each link to view details about the profile owner and see if you can locate the person you’re looking for.

Instant Username Search

Instant Username Search is a powerful tool that checks over 100 social media networks for profiles using the searched username. While it doesn’t cover as many websites as WhatsMyName, it includes some unique ones.

To use Instant Username Search, enter the username, and results will appear as you type. If it shows “Taken” under the social media network’s name, a profile with that username exists. Click the social media name to visit the profile and see if it belongs to the person you’re looking for.

User Searcher

UserSearcher is another free tool that searches through over 2,000 websites, including social networks, dating sites, and crypto forums. However, during our test, it failed to locate some Instagram profiles that other tools could find.

Enter the username and click SEARCH. By default, the tool searches the most popular 200 sites. To search all 2,000+ sites, select All Sites.

Note that while these tools can find profiles with the same username, there’s no guarantee they belong to the person you’re looking for. You need to verify the results on your own. If you prefer a more efficient way, consider using a professional people search tool.

Social Catfish

Social Catfish is a people search engine that lets you search for public records and social media profiles by username, phone number, address, or email address. It provides a one-stop shop for finding a person’s online presence without extensive searching.

Social Catfish’s report may include contact details, social media profiles, images, criminal records, and more. A membership is needed to unlock the full report. You can get Social Catfish’s 3-day trial for $5.73, which allows you to run 100 searches, but make sure you cancel the autorenewal; otherwise, you’ll be billed $27.48 a month after the trial.

During our test, the results can vary; some reports are comprehensive, while others may lack information. As with other people search tools, you might have fewer search results if your subject is below 18 years old because younger people typically have fewer public records. Additionally, some people request to have their records suppressed, so not everyone can be found using such services.

Spokeo

Spokeo is a people search service that has an extensive collection of social media and dating site profiles. Its reverse username lookup tool searches people’s online presence through 120+ social networks, allowing you to find in-depth information about anyone.

To search for someone using a username, go to Spokeo and enter the username into the search bar. Spokeo will search through billions of public records and major social networks and compile the information it finds into one easy-to-read report.

If you’re a new customer, you can get Spokeo’s trial membership for only $0.95. Keep in mind that you need to cancel the membership before the trial ends; otherwise, you’ll be automatically billed $29.95 per month.

How do reverse username lookups work?

A reverse username lookup searches for information about a person using their online username. Enter the username into the tool’s search field and start the search. The tool searches through social networks for profiles using that username. You can then review their posts and comments to determine if it’s the person you’re looking for. This might require some time as you need to manually check each profile, but there are many free tools that you can try.

If you prefer not to spend much time on this, advanced people search tools are a better option. These tools scour billions of records across various public databases and provide a background report based on the username. Information might include the person’s name, address, social media profiles, criminal record, and more.

When would I use a reverse username lookup?

There are many scenarios where you might want to run a reverse lookup on a username, such as:

1. Investigating cybercrime:
   If you or your friends are dealing with online harassment, stalking, or cyberbullying, you might want to use a reverse username lookup to identify the person behind the attack.
2. Online dating:
   Before meeting someone from an online dating site, you might want to verify their identity and check if their profile information matches their online behavior. A reverse username lookup can provide some insight into this. Or, in some cases, you just want to learn more about the person to make sure you have something in common.
3. Reconnecting with friends:
   You might want to reconnect with old friends and find their active accounts on social media.

Using reverse username tools can provide valuable insights into someone’s online presence. We hope this post has been helpful. Let us know which reverse username lookups you’ve used and what do you think of them!